OAU and bats

Just shout the word “Ebola”, all ears and eyes of the nearby people will be on alert to see what is happening as if a thief is being apprehended for jungle justice before any rescuer surface! People are not joking with Ebola virus nowadays in the country since they know the severe health implications and even death.

The global health warning to keep off monkeys, bats, bush meat, infected persons etc as the source of the deadly virus has heightened the fears, especially among sellers/consumers of bushmeat and people having things to do with bats and monkeys . This is affecting the sale of the high priced bushmeat prior. This general caution and preventive measures have been in homes, workplaces; public places on the heels of the outbreak as sensitised by the Federal Government. Schools are shut till September 22 as part of the efforts to halt the spread of the virus.
But it seems that the Obafemi Awolowo University community is comfortable with the bats colony in their midst! According to media reports, the bats migrate and come back occasionally on the campus. They should not forget too soon how a human-bat flew through our airspace and collapsed at our airport! The man-bat was taken to one of our private hospital and subsequently died there, taking along the Nigerian female doctor that attended to him! What about the diplomat -bat that found his way to Rivers State to colour the state with the Ebola virus? As the OAU bats that are migrating and coming back there, who knows what they are bringing back to the campus each time they migrate , facing the present general apprehension of the EVD? The fundamental reason for retaining them has not been given.
If the stakeholders consider the bats as traditional defensive network on the campus, let the bats stay put! But, will this belief withstand the ravaging EVD? Will the community, students and the academic staff continue to tolerate the anxiety as they pass daily under the clustered trees and other areas of the community with bats? What about the daily psychological stress to health living /staying under bats? Suppose one of the bats imported the EVD and drops its fluid on passersby just like the tragic human-bat through our airport? Therefore, since the EVD is a matter of life and death, the OAU authorities and stakeholders should critically assess the pros and cons of the desirability of retaining the controversial bats on the campus and act accordingly

Tweet